Origin of 'rest room'
Dear Dr English,
Whenever I go to a mall, hotel or any other public place, I see the word Òrest roomÓ used instead of ÒbathroomÓ or ÒtoiletÓ. I know that the word Òrest roomÓ is a polite way of referring to a bathroom. But I wonder, where does the word Òrest roomÓ come from?
Tunyathon Koonprasert
ÒRest roomÓ is a place where toilets are installed but somehow, Americans feel that the word ÒtoiletÓ is not quite polite, so they substitute it with Òrest roomÓ. You can use ÒtoiletÓ anywhere without being considered impolite. The words or expressions used by a speaker with the intention to make them less offensive, disturbing or troubling are called euphemism, and both ÒtoiletÓ and Òrest roomÓ are euphemisms. I presume the word Òrest roomÓ originated from the same idea as Òcomfort roomÓ, also referred to as toilet, because of the facility and function it provides.
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Words of fear
Dear Dr English,
Can you explain the following words: fright, fear, afraid and eerie? I have seen these words many times and wonder if they have different meanings.
Thank you,
Thiraya Tulatipakul
LetÕs start with fear. Fear is the unpleasant feeling you have when you are in danger. It is a noun. It can also be used as a verb meaning ÒfrightenedÓ or Òscared ofÓ. Fear has a similar meaning to Òafraid ofÓ, which is an adjective.
Miss Henderson is the teacher he fears most.
Most pupils are afraid of Miss Henderson.
Fright is a sudden feeling of fear, for example the fear you feel when something gives you an unpleasant surprise or when you are very anxious or nervous about something.
After chasing the ferocious dog away, the father held the little boy still shaking with fright.
You gave me such a fright jumping out of the shadows like that!
Eerie is an adjective. It has a different meaning from the other three words because it is a feeling about something strange, mysterious and frightening, the sort of feeling you have when you are alone at night in a deserted house.
LetÕs get out of here. The sound is so eerie.
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